Gone are the days when journalists were the only editorial contacts on your
media list.

Today, media lists encompass not only editors, reporters, anchors and
on-air personalities, but bloggers and online influencers who have
cultivated loyal online followings around a specific genre. (For more
information on the role of bloggers on a media list,
click here.)

Although engaging online influencers is a goal of many companies and
causes, it can be challenging to persuade key influencers to engage with
your brand. Influencer engagement requires a balance of strategy and
creativity, and one generally does not take the same approach with them as
when pitching a reporter.

Here are common missteps that prevent businesses and nonprofits from
engaging their target influencers and cultivating them as devoted brand
ambassadors:

1. Focusing too narrowly on numbers.
Although reaching influencers with large and loyal audiences is desirable,
a focus on audience size shouldn’t overshadow the importance of finding an
influencer (and their audience) whose attributes and values are
well-aligned with your brand. For example, although a nationally recognized
blogger who has amassed a social audience that ranks in the millions might
seem like the mother lode, a blogger or influencer with a strong
local/regional following that falls directly within your target audience
may yield a stronger return.

2.
Not understanding the person’s relationship with other brands.
Although bloggers and influencers generate their fair share of organic
content, some brands have established influencer relations programs that
compensate these individuals (either monetarily or with gratis products)
for their social media shares and positive “word-of-mouse.” Sometimes these
relationships are exclusive; in other instances, a blogger or influencer
might promote specific brands only under “paid” arrangements. Looking at
the blogger’s or influencer’s social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter) and hunting for the hashtags #ad or #sponsored is a good way to
identify paid partnerships.

3.
Failing to identify the benefit to the blogger or influencer. Why should a blogger or influencer promote your product and align with your
brand? What’s in it for them? What’s in it for their readers and followers?
Clearly defining the benefit to the blogger or influencer is a crucial part
of laying the foundation for success. Remember, it isn’t about you; it’s
about what you can do for them.

4. Overlooking the importance of building a relationship.
Just as you wouldn’t walk into a cocktail party, meet someone for the first
time and launch into a hard sales pitch, you shouldn’t contact bloggers and
influencers without first doing your homework. Read the blogs you are
targeting, follow the bloggers and influencers themselves on social media,
and note the types of content they share and products they feature, as well
as whether it indicates that a free product or other compensation was given
in exchange for the review/product feature. Although you want to be
authentic with what you like or share on your brand’s social media
channels, if you truly believe you have found the ideal bloggers and
influencers, it is time to start building relationships.

Connecting with the right bloggers and influencers can help brand managers
expand their online followings and cultivate loyal advocates.

Whether you have a fitness apparel line that you want renowned trainers to
wear in their own workouts, or an educational product that you’d love to
see in the hands of mommy bloggers, you must do your research, hone your
request and get your brand in front of the audiences who could become prime
customers and word-of-mouth ambassadors.